Every single month UC ''forgot" to pay some elements

[Meklk]

Hi everyone, I'm on UC since January, and every single month I'm spending hours for calls because they constantly doing mistakes. I just received my statement this morning and I'm not paid for childcare, which is £600. I won't be able to survive without this, I won't be able to pay for nursery and won't be able to work then...
Please share your experiences, did they adjust your payment for current month if they did mistake and you reported it?? Or they will pay this amount next month?
I need to cancel nursery tomorrow morning if I will need to wait until May for childcare payment. I'm so confused, honestly don't know what to do. I reporting costs every single month, checking my journal, etc....

Hi, My childcare gets missed off every month for various reasons but always have to chase It!. Put a note on your journal asking why it hasn't been paid and either they will ask for more info, explain why it's not been paid or will issue a seperate payment within a few days.

Thank you for your reply, last month I received£100 less for childcare but just couldn't wait on phone line for few days and no one reply to my journal. I can manage to squeeze and somehow get £100, but not £600... My childcare costs the same amount every single month, I really don't understand why there is a problem...

Been on uc since March 2020 and they have mucked up on childcare costs 4 or 5 times.

It is so frustrating having to phone them (especially since they ignore journal posts)

It's so frustrating when it happens but usually sorted within a week.

Thank you,so tomorrow morning I'm on the line from 8am., I really really hope they will pay at least later this month.....

If you declared the costs at the end of your assessment period it can delay the childcare costs being paid.

If you’ve paid for childcare costs in advance you’ll only get them paid in the assessment period it covers.

You also don’t get the full amount you paid back, it’s 85% of the costs they pay up to a maximum of £646.35 for one child
£1108.04 for 2 or more children

If querying childcare costs via your journal you need to raise it under ‘payment’ if no response after 48 hours call the service centre

Thank you, I'm always reporting everything on Payments (costs).
I don't think someone is even reading journal, I still have messages which are not replied since last month.

If you’re getting no response to raising them under payment try work coach

They may not have responded to your messages as you’ve spoken to the service centre, it wouldn’t need a response if your query has needn’t dealt with

*if your query has been dealt with

How I can contact work coach? Journal was responded by several people, I don't even know if I have this work coach.
By the way, I'm working, part time, I'm just claiming UC because I had to reduce hours for limited ability to work...

I always put every message under payments AND work coach now. And if I don't get a reply within 24 hours I call (I think their service level agreement says they'll reply by 6pm the following working day but they never do so I don't wait anymore). If the phone call doesn't resolve it I then put another message on (again, work coach and payment) saying that if I don't have a reply within 24 hours I'll make a formal complaint. I've never actually had to go that far.

I always check my statement the day it's released (7 days before payment) so I've got as much notice as possible and can sort any mistakes. I'm also ALWAYS incredibly polite to the staff (except one time when the guy was rude and condescending first and then he ended up apologising because he knew he'd been having a bad day and taken it out on me), it's unlikely to actually be their fault and they are incredibly overworked and understaffed BUT if we don't make a (polite) fuss and show how badly the system is running nothing will ever change.

As the previous poster mentioned, send the same message under payment and work coach. Check your statement 7 days before your payment is due so you can raise any issues before your payment date.

It’s 48 hours for them to reply to messages if no response after 48 hours call the service centre. Also make sure you declare your childcare costs before the end of your assessment period, and if you pay them in advance remember they won’t be paid until the next month

Thank you everyone, I spent almost 2hrs waiting on call, they said they'll review my details and will pay separately for childcare.

Glad they're sorting it. It's a pain when they do mess up but in my experience they always fix it fairly quickly

I think I was happy too early... today was promised that someone will call me by 6pm-nothing, I spent all day with a phone in my hand.
Left one more note on my journal-nothing.
I don't know how they are expecting me to survive with£500 less this month....
Does anyone know how long it takes to receive additional payment (I really hope they'll arrange it this month)?

It's usually about 3/4 working days but they do have the ability to do a faster payment if you push for it. I've insisted on that before when they've messed up and taken ages to fix it

But how I can push them? If I'm calling to customer service, once again, they keep telling me to wait. My bills (unfortunately) are not waiting.... I'm so upset, especially it's not my fault and I need to chase for what I'm entitled to....
I believe there is no point to leave notes in journal, in past few days I left 4, no one responded.

And I left journal notes on different sections- payment, service issues and work coach

Leave another note (under multiple sections again) to say that you'll now make a formal complaint based on their lack of customer service and immediately call again and say the same thing. Stay polite but stern. Unfortunately it is a case of 'he who shouts loudest' but also if you're nice they're more likely to want to help on a personal level. Maybe ask if they'll accept responsibility for any charges/interest you incur because of your late payment? That might worry them enough to hurry up although I'm sure they won't be liable - DWP never is!

If that doesn't work I think you will actually need to make a complaint. I've never had to get that far, usually the threat of it is enough to get it sorted, so I'm not sure of the process.

I spoke with Customer service again. I told them I have nothing left after paying my bills from half of UC payment. My UC payment is~£900, so I still waiting for~£500. How they are expecting me to work if I need to take a loan to pay for nursery??? I just want to cry....and the same shit- keep waiting.They just added another note for my case manager.

You really need to make a nuisance of yourself. Call again and say you're making a complaint. This (photo hopefully attached) says you can do it over the phone so don't accept 'you need to put it in writing' but if you do want to do that here's the link

makeacomplaint.dwp.gov.uk

If your employer under paid you you'd expect them to send you an immediate advance until they'd put it right. This is no different just because it's a benefit and we're supposed to be pathetic grateful just for them acknowledging us poor unwashed common folk. It is NOT your mistake and so they need to fix it asap. I've never had it go this far I'm afraid so I don't have any more advice. Kinda wish I could call them for you as I know it's easier to be firm when it's not your own case

Hello
My childcare for 26th of February to 26th of April was paid on the 5th of September it was paid late due to getting the invoices late from the nursery and i physically couldn’t afford the bill until September I submitted all my proof and it has now gone to a decision maker has anybody had any previous experience of this ?